Water
Sports in India
The
Himalayas offer you some of the toughest and most exciting river runs in the world.
River sports in the rapids are the most popular, throughout the summers and can
really get your adrenaline pumping. The innumerable fresh water streams and lakes
in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are ideal for angling
and trout fishing. The coastal regions provide excellent opportunities for water
sports like water skiing, wind surfing, yatching, snorkelling and scuba diving.
Further South you can enjoy water adventures along both the west and
the east coasts of India. The islands of Andaman and Nicobar in the Bay of Bengal
and Lakshadweep in the Indian Ocean are virtually untouched and are some of the
best spots for scuba diving and snorkelling. The beaches of Goa and Kerala also
offer other sporting opportunities like water skiing, wind surfing and sailing.
The West coast offers sailing in Mumbai, Goa and the lakes around Pune.
The best months for water sports are October and March.
Scuba
Diving Best season for diving: December to April
The
2 main destinations in India which have scuba diving activities as well as courses
in the sport are the Andamans and Lakshadweep.
The Andamans have some
fascinating underwater marine life, varieties of colourful fishes, ship wrecks
and exotic coral reefs. The best way to explore this is scuba diving. The coastal
water surrounding these islands is the abode of one of the richest coral reef
ecosystem is the world. Many of the islands are surrounded by fringing reefs,
often several hundred metres wide and separated from the shore by a lagoon of
similar width. There are also steeply sloping reef walls, and coral pinnacles
or knolls.
Island
Water Sports is a private water sports operator at Port Blair providing Speed
Boats, Jet Skies, Tube Ride, Wake Board Ride, Knee Board Ride, etc. The Andaman
Water Sports Complex at Port Blair is a unique water ports centre run by The Directorate
of tourism. It offers adventure water sports like Sailing, Skiing, Para-Sailing
(subject to wind/weather conditions), water scooters and speedboats. Trips for
coral and shipwreck viewing are operated from here.
White
water rafting For the white water rafting enthusiast, the early
stages of the Ganga offer the exhilarating Alakananda and Bhagirathi rivers. The
Indus snaking through Ladakh and the Zanskar and Chenab in Kashmir are very different
river running experiences. Other rivers like the Sutlej, Beas (in Himachal Pradesh),
Teetsa (in Sikkim), and Yamuna also offer sporting challenges.
The best
season for river rafting is from April to September. The most popular stretch
for this sport is on the Ganges, near Rishikesh in Uttaranchal.
Sailing
For those who love sailing, yachting and wind-surfing, there are facilities in
Goa as well as at Kovalam beach in Kerala. Mumbai, too, has several opportunities
for sailing and other water sports.
Angling and Fishing
There
are opportunities for anglers in Bhalukpung in Assam. The river Jia Bhoroli, Kapili
and Manas are the best places for Golden Mahseer angling since the days of the
British.
The Jia Bhoroli of Assam has a long and glorious history of
Mahseer angling
The state of Himachal Pradesh with its many snow-fed
rivers are an angler's haven. The upper reaches of the river Beas in the Kullu
valley are also great for this sport. The picturesque Kangra valley has several
spots that offer mahaseer- river carp.
Trout Fishing: 1st November to
31st January
In Kashmir, trout fishing is a lucrative business and the
ideal season is from April to October. The British introduced the brown and rainbow
trout to the streams of Kashmir, where they have thrived. Only artificial flies
are allowed and each licence entitles the angler to keep six fish a day, none
being shorter than 7.5 cm. The common rivers for fishing here are Sindh &
Wangat.
··»
Adventures in India
—› Camel Safaris
India —› Polo
in India —› Motor
Rallying India —› Hang
Gliding in India —›
Heli Skiing in India —›
Jeep Safari India —›
Motorbike Safari India —›
Horse Safari India —›
Water Sports in India —›
Mountaineering in India —›
Trekking in India —›
Camping in India —›
River Rafting in India —›
Skiing in India —›
Rock Climbing India
